Day 23, June 19

Lander to Jeffrey City, Wy
61 miles

The first part of the ride was about 10 miles of farmland.  After that it turned to scrub brush as far as the eye can see.

The guy below was headed the other way and we stopped to talk a bit. It was mostly the usual exchange of info about what each of us could expect ahead. He was doing the exact opposite of me; Jeffrey City to Lander.

Some of the scenery.

This gentlemans name is Mike and he was riding a scooter and asked me to stop at the top of the next hill. That should have been a clue that he was also a cyclist since he knew that I wouldn't want to stop on a climb but I didn't put it together.  It turned out that he once bicycled from Washington state to the Florida Keys over the course of a year. Since then he has wandered the country every summer, usually on motorcycle. He was just out riding wherever he felt like going each day. He also had an interesting history and was a marine and former iron worker / welder who had helped build the world trade center.

The hot and long climb.

Top of the Pass

I refilled my water bottles at Sweetwater Junction, which was really just a highway rest stop, before putting in the last 19 miles of flat to Jeffrey City.  A huge wind kicked up as I was leaving the rest stop and it pushed me the rest of the way, which was good since my bike had developed a slow leak in the front tire that had me stopping every 3 miles or so to pump it up.

Jeffrey City (pop 38)

My map showed only camping in town but it turned out that there was a cafe open and I stuffed myself with a burger, a massive plate of chili cheese fries and a beer while talking with the cafe owner and some locals.  The town had a surprising history and was once over 6000 people.  The main business was uranium mining.  The locals blamed Jimmy Carter,  three mile island and environmentalists for killing the business, which shut down completely around 1981 - 1982.

I will be camping in the local church with several other cyclists who have shown up since I did.  The chuch offers showers in addition to the free place to sleep.